Autonomic discovery and integration of complementary internet services

ABSTRACT

A method can include discovering a plurality of services that are complementary to an offered service and selecting a service from the plurality of services as a candidate for integration with the offered service. The method further can include automatically generating a new service, using a processor, by integrating the candidate service with the offered service. The new service can be included in a service catalog.

BACKGROUND

One or more embodiments disclosed within this specification relate toservices including, for example, cloud-based services. Servicesavailable over communication networks have continued to proliferate.Service offerings from providers continue to increase in both number andsophistication. In some cases, it can be beneficial to utilize a serviceoffering from one service provider with a service offering from anotherservice provider. Presently, using multiple service offerings togetherrequires significant levels of manual intervention as the process isboth complex and time-consuming.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One or more embodiments disclosed within this specification relate toautonomic discovery and integration of complementary services.

An embodiment can include A method can include discovering a pluralityof services that are complementary to an offered service and selecting aservice from the plurality of services as a candidate for integrationwith the offered service. The method further can include automaticallygenerating a new service, using a processor, by integrating thecandidate service with the offered service. The new service can beincluded in a service catalog.

Another embodiment can include determining a plurality of services thatare complementary to an offered service and determining whether each ofthe plurality of services is compatible with the offered service. Themethod further can include selecting a compatible service as a candidatefor integration with the offered service and automatically generating anew service, using a processor, by integrating the candidate servicewith the offered service.

Another embodiment can include a system having a processor. Theprocessor can be configured to initiate executable operations and/orfunctions as described within this specification.

Another embodiment can include a computer program product. The computerprogram product can include a computer readable storage medium havingstored thereon program code that, when executed, configures a processorto perform the various functions and/or operations described within thisspecification. The operations can include discovering a plurality ofservices that are complementary to an offered service and selecting aservice from the plurality of services as a candidate for integrationwith the offered service. The operations further can includeautomatically generating a new service by integrating the candidateservice with the offered service and including the new service in aservice catalog.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a cloud computingnode in accordance with an embodiment disclosed within thisspecification.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a cloud computingenvironment in accordance with another embodiment disclosed within thisspecification.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functionalabstraction layers provided in a cloud computing environment inaccordance with another embodiment disclosed within this specification.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating operation of an autonomicdiscovery and integration service in accordance with another embodimentdisclosed within this specification.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of autonomic discovery andintegration of services in accordance with another embodiment disclosedwithin this specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied, e.g., stored,thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard diskdrive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present invention may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++ or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus,or other devices create means for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

One or more embodiments disclosed within this specification relate toautonomic discovery and integration of complementary services. Inaccordance with the inventive arrangements disclosed within thisspecification, a plurality of services can be identified and evaluatedas candidates for combination with one or more other services to createone or more new services. Those candidates that are selected can beautomatically integrated with the other services and be made availablefor use, for example, via listing the new service(s) in a registry.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments disclosed within this specification can be implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

In general, cloud computing refers to a model of service delivery forenabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool ofconfigurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines,and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimalmanagement effort or interaction with a provider of the service. Thiscloud model may include at least five characteristics, at least threeservice models, and at least four deployment models.

Characteristics can include the following:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, andpersonal digital assistants (PDAs)).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models can include the following:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a Web browser (e.g., Web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models can include the following:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. The cloud infrastructure may be managed by theorganization or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premisesof the organization.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). The cloud infrastructure may be managed by theorganizations or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premisesof the organization.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.Generally, cloud computing refers to the use of an infrastructure thatincludes a network of interconnected nodes.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a cloud computingnode in accordance with an embodiment disclosed within thisspecification. Cloud computing node 100 is only one example of asuitable cloud computing node and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the embodimentsdisclosed within this specification. Regardless, cloud computing node100 is capable of being implemented and/or performing any of thefunctionality set forth hereinabove.

Cloud computing node 100 can include a processing system 110, e.g., aserver, which is operational with numerous other general purpose orspecial purpose computing system environments or configurations.Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations that may be suitable for use with processing system 110can include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, servercomputer systems, control nodes, storage area network (SAN) controllers,thin clients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Processing system 110 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system or other processing system. Generally,program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components,logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types. The processing system 110 maybe practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment,program modules may be located in both local and remote computer systemstorage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, processing system 110 in cloud computing node 100 isshown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The componentsof processing system 110 may include, but are not limited to, one ormore processors or processing unit(s) 116, a system memory 128, and abus 118 that couples various system components including system memory128 to processor unit 116.

Bus 118 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures or other suitable circuitry. Byway of example, and not limitation, such architectures can include anIndustry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Micro Channel Architecture(MCA) bus, an Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, a Video Electronics StandardsAssociation (VESA) local bus, and a Peripheral Component Interconnect(PCI) bus.

Processing system 110 typically may include a variety ofcomputer-readable storage media. Such media may be any available mediathat is accessible by the processing system 110. Computer-readablestorage media can include both volatile and non-volatile media andremovable and non-removable media. System memory 128 can includecomputer-readable storage media in the form of volatile memory, such asrandom access memory (RAM) 130 and/or cache memory 132. Processingsystem 110 may further include other removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer-readable storage media. By way of exampleonly, a storage system 134 can be provided for reading from and writingto at least one non-volatile computer-readable storage media. Examplesof computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to,a data storage device that comprises non-volatile magnetic media (e.g.,a “hard disk drive” or “HDD”), a data storage device that comprisesnon-volatile solid state media (e.g., a “solid state drive” or “SSD”), adata storage device that comprises non-volatile magneto-optical media,and the like. Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading fromand writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppydisk”), an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to aremovable, non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or otheroptical media, a solid state drive for reading from or writing to aremovable, non-volatile, solid state drive can be provided. In suchinstances, each can be connected to bus 118 by one or more data mediainterfaces, such as a fiber channel interface, a serial advancedtechnology attachment (SATA) interface, a small computer systeminterface (SCSI) interface, a serial attached SCSI (SAS) interface, orthe like.

System memory 128 may include at least one computer program product thatincludes a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readableprogram code embodied therewith. The “computer-readable storage medium”can be non-transitory in nature. The computer-readable program code caninclude a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that areconfigured to carry out the functions of embodiments disclosed withinthis specification. The program/utility 140, having a set (at least one)of program modules 142, may be stored in system memory 128 by way ofexample, and not limitation, as well as an operating system, one or moreapplication programs, other program modules, and program data. Each ofthe operating system, one or more application programs, other programmodules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include animplementation of a networking environment. Program modules 142generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of theembodiments disclosed within this specification.

Processing system 110 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 114 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 124, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with processingsystem 110; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) thatenable processing system 110 to communicate with one or more othercomputing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O)interfaces 122.

In addition, processing system 110 can communicate with one or morenetworks such as a LAN, a general WAN, and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 120. As depicted, network adapter 120can communicate with the other components of processing system 110 viabus 118. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components can be used in conjunction with processingsystem 110. Examples of such other hardware and/or software componentscan include, but are not limited to, microcode, device drivers,redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems,tape drives, data archival storage systems, etc.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a cloud computingenvironment 200 in accordance with another embodiment disclosed withinthis specification. As shown, cloud computing environment 200 includesone or more cloud computing nodes 100 with which local computing devicesused by cloud consumers, such as, for example, a PDA or cellulartelephone 202, a desktop computer 204, a laptop computer 206, and/or anautomobile computer system 208 may communicate. Like numbers will beused to refer to the same items throughout this specification.

As illustrated, cloud computing nodes 100 may communicate with oneanother. Cloud computing nodes 100 can be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 200 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 202-208shown in FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 100 and cloud computing environment 200 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a Web browser).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a set of functionalabstraction layers 300 provided in a cloud computing environment inaccordance with another embodiment disclosed within this specification.Set 300 of functional abstraction layers can be provided by a cloudcomputing environment such as cloud computing environment 200 of FIG. 2.It should be understood that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and not limiting of theembodiments disclosed within this specification. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

A hardware and software layer 302 can include hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components can include, but are notlimited to, mainframes, in one example IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers, in oneexample IBM pSeries® systems; IBM xSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter®systems; storage systems (e.g., storage arrays, network attachedstorages (NASs), and the like); and networking components. Networkingcomponents can include any of a variety of routers, switches, networkadapters, and the like.

Examples of software components include network application serversoftware, in one example IBM Web Sphere® application server software;and RAID array control software, in one example IBM SAN volumecontroller, which can execute on an IBM SVC Storage Engine. (IBM,zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 aretrademarks of International Business Machines Corporation registered inmany jurisdictions worldwide).

A virtualization layer 304 can provide an abstraction layer from whichthe following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtualservers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems; and virtualclients.

In one example, a management layer 306 may provide the functionsdescribed below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricingprovide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. User portal provides access to the cloud computingenvironment for consumers and system administrators. Service levelmanagement provides cloud computing resource allocation and managementsuch that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA)planning and fulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurementof, cloud computing resources for which a future requirement isanticipated in accordance with an SLA.

A workloads layer 308 can provide examples of functionality for whichthe cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloadsand functions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; dataanalytics processing; transaction processing; and data storage/delivery.In one aspect, workloads layer 308 can include an autonomic discover andintegration module.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating operation of an autonomicdiscovery and integration service in accordance with another embodimentdisclosed within this specification. As shown, a computing environment405 can include an autonomic discovery and integration (ADI) service 410and an offered service 415. In one aspect, computing environment 405 canbe implemented in the form of a processing node as described withreference to FIG. 1. In another aspect, computing environment 405 can beimplemented as a collection of processing nodes as illustrated withreference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

Offered service 415 can be any of a variety of services, e.g., a cloudservice, available from computing environment 405. For example, offeredservice 415 can be an electronic mail service, a document managementservice, an accounting service, or the like. It should be appreciatedthat the particular type of exemplary services listed are provided forpurposes of illustration and, as such, are not intended to limit theembodiments disclosed within this specification.

ADI service 410 also can be implemented within computing environment405. In general, ADI service 410 can be configured to identify one ormore different services and, from the identified services, determinewhich are considered complementary to offered service 415, select one ormore of the complementary services as candidates for combining with theoffered service, integrate the candidate services, and provide acombination of offered service 415 and the one or more candidateservices as a new service. In one aspect, a service that is considered“complementary” with regard to an offered service can be one that servesto fill out or complete the offered service or otherwise adds value tothe offered service by providing a feature that is currently lacking ornot available.

As shown, one or more other services 420, 425, and 430 are also shown.Each of services 420-430 can be available from a different provider,e.g., a different business entity providing services as described. Thus,in one aspect, each of services 420-430 can be provided via a differentcomputing environment operated by the corresponding service provider. Inanother aspect, however, while the providers of services 420-430 may bedistinct business entities, one or more of the providers may utilize thecomputing infrastructure made available from a same computinginfrastructure provider. In this regard, while one or more or all ofservices 420-430 may be available from a different and independentservice provider, one or more or all of the service providers may beavailable from a same computing environment as provided by the computinginfrastructure provider.

Accordingly, each of services 420-430 can include, or otherwise makeavailable, a respective service description 435-445. In general, aservice description such as service description 435, 440, and/or 445,can be implemented as a listing of the capabilities of a service. Forpurposes of illustration, service description 435 is described. Itshould be appreciated that service descriptions 440 and/or 445 can beimplemented in the same or similar manner for services 425 and/or 430respectively.

Service description 435 can specify the particular capabilities ofservice 420. To facilitate understanding across services and serviceproviders, service description 435 can be specified in a standardizedformat that is understandable by other services when read. In oneaspect, service description 435 can specify technical features of theservice. In another aspect, service description 435 can specify businessfeatures of the service.

Referring to technical features, service description 435 can specifyinformation such as the type of service being offered, e.g., electronicmail, encryption service, data archiving, etc. For each different typeof service that is available, one or more parameters of the service thatdefine the capabilities of the service can be specified. For example, inthe case of an encryption service, the type can indicate that theservice performs data encryption. Further attributes that can bespecified by the service description can include the type of encryptiontechnology that is utilized, the strength of the encryption provided,the amount of data that can be encrypted and/or decrypted per unit time,or the like.

In the case of an electronic mail service, the service description canindicate a type of electronic mail. Further attributes can be specifiedby the service description can include whether the service provides IMAPsupport, POP3 support, the amount of storage provided per account, themaximum size of an electronic mail inclusive of attachments, the maximumattachment size, the maximum number of attachments that can be includedin each individual electronic mail, etc.

Referring to business features of the service, service description 435can specify information such as price, SLA, and the like. The SLA canindicate information such as uptime guarantees and whether the SLA ispenalty-based. In one aspect, only those services having a particulartype of SLA, e.g., a penalty-based SLA, can be eligible forconsideration as a candidate for use in integration with an offeredservice. It should be appreciated, however, that one or more otherparameters of the service description and/or the application programminginterface (API) of a service can be considered.

It should be appreciated that the particular attributes/examples oftechnical features and/or business features are provided for purposes ofillustration only. Other features can be specified. Further, variouscombinations of features, whether technical, business, or a combinationthereof, can be specified. For example, various grades of service andvarious options of technical features that are correlated with differentprices can be specified within service description 435.

Each of services 420-430 further can include a respective API 450-460.In general, an API such as APIs 450, 455, and/or 460, can define thespecific operations available from a service (e.g., commands) and how tospecifically invoke such operations. For example, an API can define theexact syntax for invoking a particular operation as performed by theservice and the arguments or parameters that are to be provided as partof the command that invokes the operation. The API further can specifythe particular output that is generated by each operation and the formatof the output that can be expected responsive to invoking a particularoperation using the specified command.

In operation, ADI service 410 can be configured to discover one or moreservices that are available for integration with one or more otherservices. For purposes of description, operation of ADI service 410 isdescribed with reference to offered service 415. In this regard, ADIservice 410 can be configured to discover services that are consideredto be complementary of offered service 415.

For example, ADI service 410 can be configured, e.g., programmed, withone or more preferences for different services that are consideredcomplementary to offered service 415. In illustration, consider the casein which offered service 415 is an electronic mail service.Complementary services can be those that can be used in conjunction, orcombination, with offered service 415. For example, an encryptionservice and an archival service can be two services that can be used incombination with offered service 415 that would allow computingenvironment 405 to provide an encrypted, electronic mail archiveservice. Thus, ADI service 410 can be programmed to search for one ormore enumerated services specified as being complementary to offeredservice 415.

ADI service 410, having discovered one or more services, e.g., services420-430, can identify one or more of the identified services ascandidate services for use in integrating with offered service 415. ADIservice 410 can evaluate each of the candidate services for suitabilityin integrating with offered service 415, automatically integrate one ormore of the candidate services, and provide the resulting combination ofservices as a new service.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method 500 of autonomic discoveryand integration of services in accordance with another embodimentdisclosed within this specification. Method 500 can be performed by asystem as illustrated within FIGS. 1-4 of this specification. Ingeneral, the system can be configured to identify one or more otherservices that are complementary with a particular offered service inorder to expand the portfolio of available service offerings.

In step 505, the system can implement a discovery procedure to identifyone or more other services offered by other providers. The system, forexample, can be configured to search or discover one or more otherservices that have been determined to be complementary to an offeredservice. Taking the prior example of an electronic mail offered service,the system can be configured to seek out an encryption service and adata archiving service. The particular services, e.g., service types,that are considered complementary can be specified by an administratorof the system, for instance.

The system can discover other services through any of a variety ofdifferent techniques or combinations of techniques. In one example, thesystem can be configured conduct a search of services online, e.g., viaWeb crawling or the like, to locate available services from serviceproviders. The system can locate services through discovery of a servicedescription for the service. In other cases, when a service listing,e.g., a centralized listing, is available, the system can query thelisting of services and/or service providers to search for complementaryservices.

In another example, the system can be configured to analyze user datathat can be maintained within a directory or other data store. The datacan specify or include associations between the users of anorganization, e.g., a company or the like, and one or more other cloudservice providers. For example, users within an organization canmaintain a listing of various services or cloud service associationswithin a directory listing that each respective user utilizes or findsuseful. The system can search the directory for complementary services.

Continuing with the prior example, the system can evaluate usagestatistics and/or patterns of the services by users when suchinformation is available to the system. The system can select particularcomplementary services from a plurality of available complementaryservices. For example, when more than one encryption service isidentified from the user data, the system can select the encryptionservice that is utilized by more users, select the encryption systemthat is accessed more frequently, etc.

In another example, the system can access different forms of socialmedia and analyze the content contained therein to discovercomplementary services. For instance, the system can access and analyzediscussion threads, forums, blogs, or other forms of social media toidentify mention of or instances in which a service and/or serviceprovider is noted within the particular channel or channels of socialmedia being analyzed. The system can process text obtained from thedifferent forms of social media to identify services noted therein fromthe context.

In still another example, the system can subscribe to one or more feedsavailable online and analyze the data received within the feed toidentify mention of complementary services. For example, the system canregister as a user to receive a feed from one or more service providers.The content of the feed can be analyzed for instances in which aparticular service (e.g., a service type) is mentioned or noted.

The particular way in which complementary services are identified is notintended to limit the embodiments disclosed within this specification.The system can apply the different techniques described, including otherknown techniques, individually, in varying combinations, or allcollectively to discover services that match a list of one or moreservices determined to be complementary with an offered service.Further, in discovering complementary services, any of a variety ofavailable communication mechanisms and/or protocols can be utilized. Forexample, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), RepresentationalState Transfer (REST), JAVA, Remote Method Invocation (RMI), selfreflection and/or description technologies, Real Time Communication(RTC), proprietary protocols, etc., can be used to expose the service orparts thereof, e.g., the service description and/or the API.

In step 510, the system can select a subset of one or more complementaryservices from the services discovered in step 505 as candidate services.Each selected service is a candidate for combining with the offeredservice. Candidate services can be selected in a variety of ways.

In one aspect, the system can evaluate the service description of eachdiscovered service to determine whether the service may technically beintegrated, or is compatible, with the offered service. For example, thesystem can evaluate the service description to determine whether theservice description specifies one or more attributes that are desirableand/or needed (e.g., required) in a complementary service. The systemcan maintain a listing of desired complementary services andrequirements for integration of such complementary services with theoffered service. The system can compare the requirements with dataspecified within the service description of each complementary serviceconsidered for candidacy.

In another aspect also relating to whether the service is compatiblewith the offered service, the system can be configured to evaluate theAPI of each service considered for candidacy. For example, the systemcan evaluate the API of each system being considered to determinewhether the system, from a technical perspective, can be integrated withthe offered service. The system can maintain a listing of requirementsin terms of what the API of a complementary service should include interms of inputs and/or outputs in order to be compatible with theoffered service. The system can compare these requirements forintegration with the published API of each service under considerationfor candidacy.

The system also can be configured to determine whether integrating theservices under evaluation for candidacy makes business sense. Presuming,for example, that a given service can be technically integrated with theoffered service, the system also can determine whether integration ofthe service with the offered service makes business sense.

The system can be configured to evaluate one or more other attributes ofthe service description that relate to business concerns such as theSLA, pricing, and the like. For example, the system can apply analgorithm to the determined data to generate a score for each serviceunder consideration. The higher the score for a given service, the morelikely that integrating the service with the offered service will resultin increased value.

In determining the score, the system can weight different attributesaccording to importance. For example, the system can apply a weightingfactor that increases the importance of a penalty based SLA whenconsidering whether to accept a service as a candidate for integration.Those services with penalty based SLAs, with all other things beingequal, will have a higher score than those that do not. In anotherexample, the system can add a weighting factor that is dependent uponthe novelty of the service being considered. In illustration, thescoring algorithm can be configured so that a service that is offered byfewer providers is scored higher than a same or similar service that isoffered by many (e.g., more) providers. For example, when a particularservice is considered novel in that no other equivalent services havebeen discovered, the score of the service can be increased by apredetermined quantity or factor.

In step 515, the system can select one or more of the services underevaluation as candidates. The system can select one or more, e.g., each,service that the system determines can be technically integrated withthe offered service. In one aspect, of the services that can beintegrated, the system can select those services with at least a minimumscore from the business evaluation. It should be appreciated that whentwo or more similar services, e.g., two or more encryption services, arebeing considered for candidacy, the score that is generated can be usedto rank the various services. The system can select the complementaryservice with the highest score as a candidate or the highest among twoor more scores that is above the minimum allowed score.

In step 520, the system can generate a new service. The system cangenerate a new service by integrating the candidate service(s) with theoffered service. The system can generate a new service, e.g., a newintegrated service, in which the offered service functions cooperativelywith the candidate service to provide a new “integrated” service. Takingthe prior example, whereas the offered service was simply electronicmail, the system can generate one or more new services throughintegration of one or more candidate services. For example, the systemcan generate a new integrated service in which electronic mail isprovided with data archiving. The system also can offer another newservice in which electronic mail is offered with encrypted dataarchiving.

In integrating the candidate service(s) with the offered service, thesystem can generate program code, for example, as may be required toinvoke the candidate service(s) in a cooperative manner with the offeredservice. Continuing with the prior example, the system can generate thenecessary program code automatically to invoke the encryption serviceand provide electronic mail to be encrypted to the encryption service.The system further can generate program code automatically to receivethe encrypted electronic mail as output and send/or direct the encryptedmail to the data archival service for archiving. Similar program codecan be generated that allows the process to be reversed, e.g., encryptedand archived electronic mail to be retrieved (unarchived), decrypted,etc.

In step 525, the system can generate an entry for the integratedservice(s), e.g., the newly created service(s), in a service catalogthat is made available or otherwise published and specifies availableservices from the provider of the offered service. Accordingly, theintegrated service that is a combination of the offered service with thecomplementary service(s) can be discovered by users and accessed withoutrequiring user intervention in creating and/or publishing the newservice.

The inventive arrangements disclosed within this specification allow aservice provider, e.g., a cloud service provider, to automaticallyidentify one more services that are complementary with one or moreservices already offered by the provider. The identified services can beevaluated and automatically integrated with the offered service(s) toenhance the portfolio of services available from the service provider.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,”“including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment disclosed within thisspecification. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “inan embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may,but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more thantwo. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a secondor more. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected,whether directly without any intervening elements or indirectly with oneor more intervening elements, unless otherwise indicated. Two elementsalso can be coupled mechanically, electrically, or communicativelylinked through a communication channel, pathway, network, or system. Theterm “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and allpossible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Itwill also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms, as these terms are only used to distinguishone element from another unless stated otherwise or the contextindicates otherwise.

The term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in responseto determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context.Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated conditionor event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or“in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition orevent]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],”depending on the context.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the embodiments disclosed within this specification havebeen presented for purposes of illustration and description, but are notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of theembodiments of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to best explain the principles of the invention and thepractical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the artto understand the inventive arrangements for various embodiments withvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. A computer-implemented method, comprising:discovering a plurality of computer-implemented services that arecomplementary to an offered computer-implemented service; selecting acomputer-implemented service from the plurality of computer-implementedservices as a candidate for integration with the offeredcomputer-implemented service; automatically generating a newcomputer-implemented service by integrating the candidatecomputer-implemented service with the offered computer-implementedservice; and including the new computer-implemented service in a servicecatalog, wherein the new computer-implemented service comprises computerprogram code.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising: searchingsocial media for computer-implemented services that are complementary tothe offered computer-implemented service.
 28. The method of claim 26,further comprising: searching data specifying associations between usersand cloud service providers for computer-implemented services that arecomplementary to the offered computer-implemented service.
 29. Themethod of claim 26, further comprising: subscribing to a feed from aservice provider; and searching the feed for computer-implementedservices that are complementary to the offered computer-implementedservice.
 30. The method of claim 26, further comprising: determiningwhether each of the plurality of computer-implemented services iscompatible with the offered computer-implemented service.
 31. The methodof claim 30, further comprising: comparing an attribute from a servicedescription of each computer-implemented service with a servicerequirement for integration with the offered computer-implementedservice.
 32. The method of claim 30, further comprising: comparing anattribute from an application programming interface of eachcomputer-implemented service with a service requirement for integrationwith the offered computer-implemented service.
 33. The method of claim30, further comprising: scoring each compatible computer-implementedservice according to an attribute of a service level agreement for thecomputer-implemented service.
 34. A computer hardware system including,comprising: a hardware processor configured to initiate the followingexecutable operations: discovering a plurality of computer-implementedservices that are complementary to an offered computer-implementedservice; selecting a computer-implemented service from the plurality ofcomputer-implemented services as a candidate for integration with theoffered computer-implemented service; automatically generating a newcomputer-implemented service by integrating the candidatecomputer-implemented service with the offered computer-implementedservice; and including the new computer-implemented service in a servicecatalog, wherein the new computer-implemented service comprises computerprogram code.
 35. The system of claim 34, wherein the hardware processoris further configured to perform: searching social media forcomputer-implemented services that are complementary to the offeredcomputer-implemented service.
 36. The system of claim 34, wherein thehardware processor is further configured to perform: searching dataspecifying associations between users and cloud service providers forcomputer-implemented services that are complementary to the offeredcomputer-implemented service.
 37. The system of claim 34, wherein thehardware processor is further configured to perform: subscribing to afeed from a service provider; and searching the feed forcomputer-implemented services that are complementary to the offeredcomputer-implemented service.
 38. The system of claim 34, wherein thehardware processor is further configured to perform: determining whethereach of the plurality of computer-implemented services is compatiblewith the offered computer-implemented service.
 39. The system of claim38, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to perform:comparing an attribute from a service description of eachcomputer-implemented service with a service requirement for integrationwith the offered computer-implemented service.
 40. The system of claim38, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to perform:comparing an attribute from an application programming interface of eachcomputer-implemented service with a service requirement for integrationwith the offered computer-implemented service.
 41. The system of claim38, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to perform:scoring each compatible computer-implemented service according to anattribute of a service level agreement for the computer-implementedservice.
 42. A computer program product, comprising: a hardware storagedevice having stored therein computer-readable program code, thecomputer readable program code, which when executed on a computerhardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform:discovering a plurality of computer-implemented services that arecomplementary to an offered computer-implemented service; selecting acomputer-implemented service from the plurality of computer-implementedservices as a candidate for integration with the offeredcomputer-implemented service; automatically generating a newcomputer-implemented service by integrating the candidatecomputer-implemented service with the offered computer-implementedservice; and including the new computer-implemented service in a servicecatalog, wherein the new computer-implemented service comprises computerprogram code.
 43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein thecomputer readable program code further causes the computer hardwaresystem to perform: searching social media for computer-implementedservices that are complementary to the offered computer-implementedservice.
 44. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein thecomputer readable program code further causes the computer hardwaresystem to perform: searching data specifying associations between usersand cloud service providers for computer-implemented services that arecomplementary to the offered computer-implemented service.
 45. Thecomputer program product of claim 42, wherein the computer readableprogram code further causes the computer hardware system to perform:subscribing to a feed from a service provider; and searching the feedfor computer-implemented services that are complementary to the offeredcomputer-implemented service.